john a



UNITED STATES,

PATENT JOHN A. MGUO-Y AND CHARLES SYLVESTEB, OF RIVER,

SWlTCH-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 241,812, dated May 24, 1881.

Application filed December 4,- 1881. (X model) To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JomtA. MCGOY and CHARLES Snvnsnm, of Fall River, Bristol county, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Switch-Boards, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

Our invention relates to switch-hoards, and is shown embodied in a switch-board for telephone-exchanges having vertical or line strips connected with the difi'erent subscribers circuits and horizontal or connecting strips traversing the said line-strips, and each adapt- 1 ed, when connected, as by plugs, with two of the said line-strips to complete the electric circuit from one to the other. The said line-strips are each connected to the ground through continuations normally connected with them, and

it is necessary when connecting any two of the said lines toremove the ground therefrom;

and our invention consistsin pivoting the said line-strips so that they may be movable in the frame-work, they being normally pressed, as

2 by the force of a spring, into contact with grounded continuations, but so placed that when the connecting pieces or plugs are insorted, to form the connection between them a d the connecting-strips, the said pieces will 0 turn the said line-strips aside on their pivots,

and by this movement break their connectionwith the grounded continuatious.

We do not bmadlyclaimamovableliue-strip to be moved out of connection with a grounded 3 5 ctliillitinuation bytheinseriion of theconuecting- D Figure 1 is a front elevation of a switch board constructed in accordance with our invention; Fig. 2, arear view thereof; Fig. 3, a

horizontal sectional detail on an enlarged scale,

and Big. 4 a detail showing a portion of Fig. 2

The niaiu portion or framework not the.

are each provided with a series of plug-sockets, :1, extended throughto the front face of the switch-board. The said socketsd-are screwthreaded at their ends which pass through the 5 5 connectingstrips c, and are held in place by the nuts 0. All the sockets of each horizontal line are electrically connected together by the strips 0, but disconnected from the other horizontal lines by the portion of the insulating 6o materialalyin g between them, and the sockets of the difl'erent horizontal strips are placed in line vertically above one another.

The vertical or line strips b are shown as mounted on pivots 1' at each end,nearone edge of the said strips, which are thus free to turn on a longitudinal axis near one edge, the said axis lying at one side of the corresponding vertical row of plug-sockets d. The line-strips b are normally held by the springs I, pressed against stops 1 which are otherwise electrically insulated from both the horizontal and vertical strips, hutareinteuded tobecongected with the ground after passiugthrgugh suitable signalingorindicatinginstrunieiitsofanywell- 7 known kind. When thus resting against the stops 1' therertical strips b are inclined relatirelyto the axis of the plug-sockets d, as drown in Fig. 3, aTnd'iiein the path of the plugs p when inserted in the said sockets, so that when one of the said plugs is pushed into its socket its end will'engage the vertical strip hehind the said socket and turn it on its pivots i, overcoming the spring a and disconnecting the said strip from its stop a and electrical condoctor that may be connected therewith.

The liuestrips b are connected at their upper ends with the difl'ereut subscribers circuits, the wiresot which may be secured under-binding-screws connected with the upper pivotpieces 6, and in their normal condition, when resting against the stops 1:, will be connected thereby to the ground; but upon the insertion of plug p in one of the sockets d the line-strip b lying behind the said socket will be disconnected from the stop a and the ground, and will be connected with the horizontal strip 0, in which the said socketd lies. By inserting another plug in another socket in the same horizontal line with the first plug, the corre sponding line-strip b will be also disconnected from its stop a and the ground and be placed inconnection with the line-strip operated upon by the first plug. By withdrawing the plugs the line-strips will be at once automatically restored, by the action of the springs m,totheir connection, through the stops 11-, with the ground. By pivoting the line-strips in this manner they are readily operated upon by the phage, and form a good electrical contact there- W1 We claim- L In a switch-board, a series of connecting strips provided with plug-sockets fixed relatively to the frame-work, combined with linestrips mounted on pivots, and ground-stops normally in electrical contact therewith, the said line-strips being located in the path of the plugs when inserted in their sockets, whereby when a plug is inserted to connect a connecting-strip with one of the said line-strips the latter is turned by the said plug on the said pivots out of connection with the said groundstop, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a switch-hoard, the combination of the plug-sockets d, the plugs 12, to be inserted there in, with the line'strips b pivoted at their ends, and the springs as and stops at therefor, arranged and to operate substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of 0 two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN A. MCCOY. CHARLES SYLVESTER.

Witnesses:

HENRY T. BUFFINGTON, FRANCIS B. H001). 

